Machine for marking tags of different styles



May 12, 1953 A. K. MARSH ET AL MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OF DIFFERENTSTYLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3, 1946 JNVENTORS 1 M \M M BY a 9MATTORNEYS y 1953 A. K. MARSH ET AL 2,638,038

MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OF DIFFERENT STYLES Filed 001:. 3, 1946 5Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTORS K. W \M M ATTORNEYS y 1953 A. K. MARSH ET AL2,638,038

MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OF DIFFERENT STYLES Filed Oct. 3, 1946 5Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS srww.

ATTORNEYS May 12, 1953 A. K. MARSH El AL MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OFDIFFERENT STYLES Filed Oct 3, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 JNVENTORS sATTORAZIE May 12, 1953 A. K. MARSH El AL MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OFDIFFERENT STYLES Filed Oct. 3, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS .varietyof different styles.

Patented May 12, 1953 MACHINE FOR MARKING TAGS OF DIFFERENT STYLESAlonzo K. Marsh, Ridgewood, and Joseph Weimont, Bogota, N. J., assignorsto A. Kimball Company, New York, N. Y.,

New York a corporation of Application October 3, 1946, Serial No.700,922

21 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for printing price tags and pintickets such as are used in stores for marking merchandise.

Different styles of tags are attached to different articles, and thedifferences in styles are not only in the attaching means, whether pin,string,

or other means, but also in the sizes of the tags or tickets whichdiffer in length or width or both, and in the location on the tag of thearea which is to be printed.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved machine forprinting price tags of a The term tag is used in this specification andin the claims in a broad sense to designate pin tickets as well as:string tickets and other tags that are used for marking merchandise.

7 The invention comprises a single machine to which strips of tags aresupplied, and the apparatus can be set to feed and print tags of variouscombinations of length, width, and.

marked area. In accordance with one feature of the invention all of thenecessary adjustments of the strip guides and feed mechanism are oblikereference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the front of a tag printing machineembodying this invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machineshown in Fig. 1, but viewing the machine from the back,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine shown in the other figures,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the feedcontrol mechanism, the tag guide structure, and some of the apparatusfor adjusting the machine.

i "Fig. 4a is a sectional view of a part of the feed control mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view of other apparatus for adjusting theguide for one side of the tag strips,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view, partly in section,

showing the control for the knife by which the tags are severed from thestrip,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing ,mechanism for changing thestroke of the feed control mechanism,

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show strips of tags of different styles that can bemarked by the machine.

M anualZy-opemted drive The machine includes a base Hi to which isattached a vertically extending panel or frame ll. Behind the frame i Ithere is a main cam shaft I2 supported by pedestal bearings 13 and M(Fig. 2) which extend upwardly from the frame. There is a bevel gear l6secured to the cam shaft I2 and this bevel gear meshes with anotherbevel gear I! on the end of a drive shaft l8. The drive shaft H3 turnsin a pedestal bearing I9 attached at its lower end tothe frame IE5, andthe drive shaft is rotated by a handle 28 extending from a flywheel 2|which is secured to the outer end of the drive shaft.

Drive for feed-control mechanism At the right hand end of the cam shaft12 there is a cam 22 for controlling the operation of the tag feedingmechanism of the machine.

This cam 22 has an outer element 23 that extends around the entireperiphery of the cam and an inner element 24 which extends around aportion of the cam periphery. The space between the inner and outer camelements 23 and 24 provides a groove for receiving a cam follower 21.

This cam follower 2'! is attached to an arm 28 that rocks back and forthabout a pivot which connects the lower end 30 of the arm 28 to a boss 3!on the base Ill.

A stud 33 has a threaded rearward end which screws into the upperportion of the arm 28. This stud 33 is secured in position by a lock nut34. The forward end of the stud 33 extends through a slot 36 in theframe l l, and into slot 38 (Fig. 1) in a rocker plate 39 whichoscillates about a screw 40 attached to the frame ll. Rotation of thecam 22 causes the stud 33 to move back and forth in the slot 36, and torock the plate 39 about its fulcrum screw 40.

On the front of the frame It) there is a bracket 43 which supports atable 45 extending substantially the entire length of the machine. Acarriage 16 slides along the forward edge portion of the table 45 and isheld in contact with the table 45 by a guide screw 47 which passesthrough a slot 48 in the side of the carriage 43. This guide .screw 47threads into the side of the table 45.

oscillation of the rocker plate 39 moves the stud 3 53 back and forthand causes the carriage 46 to slide along the table 45.

The reciprocating movement of the carriage 46 operates feeding mechanismfor advancing a strip of tags through the machine. Ihe tags areconnected together side by side so that the width of a strip correspondsto the height or 4 must, therefore, be adjustable so that either theupper edge guide, or the lower edge guide, or both can be adjusted withrespect to the platen in order to adapt the machine for use with stripsof different width and with tags having their marking areas at difierentdistances from the upg per edge of the tag.

length of a tag. The machine includes mech- 1 anism for limiting thelength of the stroke of the carriage 46 when printing narrow tags. Apart of the feed control comprises a bell crank 55 which rocks about afulcrum screw 56 threaded into a portion of the bracket 43. This bellcrank 55 has a hook 53 at one end and a cam follower 55 at the otherend.

The cam follow 59 is periodically displaced by a cam 66, into the dottedline position shown in Fig. 7; and when the bell crank 55 is in thisdotted line position, the hook 58 is in the path tif the Stud 53 andlimits the stroke of the carriage 46. The dam 'whieh operates thecarriage 46 causes the carriage to move toward the right in Fig. '7, andmovement of the carriage 45 in the other direction is caused by a spring82 (Fig. 2) The slot between the cam elements 23 and '23 is constructedso that there is clearance for the cam follower 21 to remain 'out ofcontact with the cam element 25 when the stroke of the {feed mechanismis limited to a length less than the run throw of the cam 22.

Guides for "tag strips The mechanism for printing the tags, which willhereinafter be explained, always prints within the confines of a fixedarea 'over a platen located in the table 45 near the discharge end ofthe table, that is, the right hand end of the table 45 as viewed in Fig.4. For this reason it is not sufiicient to have one fixed guide and onemovable guide for holding tag strips of different width againstdisplacement transversely of the table. For example, with some tags thearea to be printed will extend closer to the top of the tag than in thecase of other styles.

Fig. 8 shows a strip of tags '53 having areas 1 on which the printingcan extend close to the top edges of the tags adjacent the attachingpins 84. Fig. 9 shows tags 55 of a different style having longer lengthbut also equipped with pins 54 that leave a large area of the tagavailable for marking. Fig. 10 shows a still different style of tag 61which has a main body portion and an auxiliary portion 58, and incisedlines along which this auxiliary portion '68 can be torn away from themain body of the tag.

With marking tags of the style shown in Fig. 1'0, duplicate indicia areprinted side by side on :the tag, with one set of indicia located on themain body ortion of the tag and the other set of indi'cia located-entirely on the auxiliary portion 68. When merchandise are sold, thesales clerk tears off the auxiliary portion 68 of the tag and thesetorn-off portions are used for inventory control. The tags 61 are shownwith "strings '69 for attaching them to merchandise There are guidesextending along both sides of the table (Fig. l) for holding a strip oftags against displacement transversely of the table. The upper ends ofthe tags move along a guide plate $5. This guide plate 15 is spaced fromthe table 45 to leave space for the attaching pins or strings along theupper ends of the tags, and there is a forwardly-extending lip along theupper edge of the plate I5 for holding the tags down on the table 45.With most styles of tags the guide plate I5 is positioned immediately infront of the panel II, with the back of the guide plate "I5 lip againstthe front wall of the panel. This guide plate is supported by studs 11(Fig. 5) which extend 'rearwardly from the guide plate "I5. The studs 71extend through openings in the panel I I and serve as bearings on whichthe guide plate is movable toward and from the table on which the stripof tags is supported. The guide plate I5 is urged rearwardly toward thepanel 'II by springs I5 compressed between the back face of the panel IIand flanges an on the studs TI.

When the machine is to be used for certain styles of tags, the guideplate I5 is pushed forward away from the panel I I by arms 82 locatedbehind the studs I7 and secured to a rocker shaft 8 3. This rocker shaftturns in bearings 85 supported from the frame of the machine, and theshaft 83 is rocked by a lever arm '81 extending downward from the shaft83 into the path 'of a push rod 88 that slides through an opening in thebracket '43.

The forward end of the push rod 88 contacts with the face of a cam 89.When the end of the push rod 88 is at a high part of the calm, the lever'81 and arms 82 are in position to cause the guide plate I5 to be heldaway from the panel II. Whenever the end of the push rod 88, whichserves as a cam follower, is over a low part of the cam 88, such as thedepression 90, the push rod 88, the lei er 81 and studs IT are moved bythe springs I8 into position to bring the guide plate "I5 rearwardlytoward the panel "I I, and into contact with the panel II when thedepression at 90 is of substantial depth for tags having maximum spacingbetween the marked area and the top of the tag.

The cam '89 is on the back face of a composite 'ca'm assembly 92 whichincludes the 'cam 50., de-

scribed in the explanation of Fig. 7., and other cams which will 'bedescribed. This entire com- ,posite cam assembly 92 is attached to andsupported by a shaft 93 which-is rotatable inabearing in the bracket 43.

The guide for the lower edge of the tag strip is of compositeconstruction with an edge plate '95 (Fig. 4) that has a part 96 of itsinner face disposed at an angle to the direction of movement of thestrips for facilitating the location of tag strips which do not havepins. Those strips that do have pins are brought into line on the table45 when the row of "pins is initially inserted into the space betweenthe table 45 and the guide plate 15. The lower guide element includesalso a cover plate 91 a portion of which extends beyond the guide faceof the edge plate 95, and this cover plate 91 is bent upward to providea flaring entrance into the lower edge guide.

ing portion I05 in front of the table 45, and this downwardly extendingportion I05 has studs I05 which extend into openings in the front of thetable 45 for holding the guide assembly 99 against movement lengthwiseof the table 45. The studs I06 are slidable in the openings into whichthey extend, and the guide assembly 99 is therefore movable transverselyof the table for adjusting the guide assembly for tags of differentstyles.

The guide assembly 99 is urged inwardly, to accommodate it to narrow tagstrips, by a spring I08 that bears against the front of the guideassembly 99. The spring I08 is compressed between the guide assembly 99and the cover that fits over the cam assembly 92. This cover is removedin the drawing in order to expose the cam assembly, and it is sufiicientto understand that the forward end of the spring I08 contacts with afixed abutment of the machine. The inner end of the spring I08 fits overthe head of a screw I09 which prevents transverse displacement of thespring.

Cam mechanism is provided for moving the guide assembly 99 forward,against the pressure of the spring I08, to accommodate theguide to tagstrips of greater width. This cam mechanism includes a bracket I Isecured to the front of the guide assembly 99, and a cam follower IIIextending down from the bracket H0 and into the path of a cam I I2located on the front of the cam assembly 92.

The cover plate 91 is a part of the guide assembly 99 but is connectedto the edge plate 95 in such a way as to be movable with respect'to theedge plate. This connection includes a screw I I3 extending through aslot in the cover plate 91 and threaded into the edge plate 95. The headof the screw H3 is wider than the slot and the screw comes down againsta shoulder which leaves sufficient clearance under the head for thecover plate 91 to slide freely with respect to the edge plate 95. Thecover plate 91 is also guided by a washer I I4 which extends over adownwardly extending edge of the cover plate 91, and which is spacedfrom the portion I05 of the edge plate 96 so as to leave the cover plate91 free to slide back and forth with respect to the edge plate 95. Thewasher II4, however, prevents the cover plate 91 from movingtransversely with respect to the edge plate 95 or from turning about theretaining screw II3.

Strip feeding mechanism The cover plate 91 is moved into differentpositions lengthwise of the edge plate 95 by rocking an arm I I5(Fig. 1) about a fulcrum stud II6 extending outward from the bracket 43.A spring H8 is wound around the fulcrum stud H6 and anchored at one endto a portion of the bracket 43. The spring II8 has its forward end aI1-.chored to the arm H5 and the torsion of the spring I I8 is in adirection to urge the arm I I5 to move clockwise in Fig. 1. A camfollower stud E20 extends inward from the arm H5 and into .the path of aperipheral cam I22 that forms a part of the composite cam assembly 92.Atthe upper end of the arm H5 there is a stud I23 that extends through aslot I24 in the lowermost part of the cover plate 91.

A presser element comprising a finger I25 (Fig. 4) is pivotallysupported at one end by a screw I26 which extends through a lug I21projecting upward from the cover plate 91. At the free end of the fingerI25 there is a downwardly extending tip I28 for engaging the tags andfor pushing the bottom portion of an end tag downward with respect tothe next succeeding tag of the strip so that a pawl I30 of the feedmechanism can engage the depressed portion of the tag under the tip I29and push the strip forward. The

strips of tags with which. the invention is intended to be used has acut I33 extending from the bottom edge of the strip for a substantialdistance toward the upper end of the strip. Some of the tags haveintermediate cuts I34 of different length from the cut'l33. The reasonfor the different lengths of these cuts will be explained in connectionwith the cutting apart of the tags.

Fig. 4a shows the finger I25, after it has been pushed down by theprinting head, which will be described hereinafter. The pressure of thetip I28 on the last tag 03 immediately to the right of the cut I33,bends the lower end of that tag downward below the plane of the endsurface of the next tag so that the pawl I30, on which the other tagsare resting, comes against the edge of the depressed tag and feeds theentire strip forward to bring the last tag into the dotted stroke hasbeen completed. It will be apparent that by using the edges of the tagsas the abutments against which the feed pawl I30 comes in contact tofeed the strip, the strips are fed forward for a distance exactly equalto the distance between succeeding cuts I33 (Figs. 8 to 10), or cuts I33and I34, provided the stroke of the feed pawl I30 is not equal to orgreater than twice the distance between successive cuts.

Feed pawlstrokes equal to twice the distance between successive cuts I33are avoided, when using narrow tags or tags on which two areas are to beprinted, as in Fig. 10, by moving the hook 58 (Fig. 7) into the path ofthe stud 53 so that the carriage 46 is confined to a shorter stroke. Theactual distance that the strip is fed on each stroke, however, isdetermined by the spacing of the cuts I 33 and I34 of the tags and notby the actual stroke of the feed pawl I30 because the feed pawl, on itsreturn stroke has some overtravel, that is, it moves back further thannecessary to engage the edge of the next ag.

The reason for having the cover plate 91 adjustable lengthwise along thelower edge guide structure 99 is for locating the finger I25 so that thetip I28 is in the proper position for depressing the bottom portion ofthe tag last printed when using tags of any selected width.

their tags connected by webs extending along only a portion of thelength of each tag and the shearing section 536 is long enough to severthe tag-connecting webs. The knife I is supported by a fulcrumscrew 23?at the upper end of a .lever I38 which is itself supported by a fulcrumscrew its extending through an angle I40 attached to the front of thebracket 43. The lever I38 is urged in a clockwise direction in Fig. 6 bya spring I42.

There is a cam follower roller I44 extending from one side of the leverI38, and this cam follower roller Mt contacts with an outer cam face .1;I46 (Fig. 4) of the composite cam assembly 92.

Thecam I45 is on the front face of the composite cam assembly andfurtherout from the shaft 93 thanis the cam face H 2; and the camfollower roller I44 does not extend in far enough to be affected by thecam- I it.

The purpose of the cam I46 is to shift the cam follower IM and movethefulcru-m Iit'i (Fig.

.6) to change the location of the shearing section #35 of the knifetransversely of the tag strip supporting table in accordance with thelocation of thewebs connecting the tags of different styles.

The machine'i s made so that it can be used to markstrips or tagswithout cutting the tags apart. The knife I35 can be depressed to' aposition thatbrings the top of the knife even with the top of the table.The knifeis-in this position inFig. Spa-Dd the strip of tags feedsacross the top ofi the knife and through a sheet metal guide I4? (rue 3)attached tothe front ofthe frame or panel I I-.. t

The knife i35= i urged into araised position by a spring Hi8 (Fig 6),and the knife-is depressed, to make its-cutting stroke; by apin- I59extending through a slotted end oi the knife behind the panel. Ii.This-pin 50" extends'out from one side of a lever arm I52 whichissupported a fulcrum pin- I53 from a bracket I54 extending upward fromthe frame ofthe machine. The. lever I5! is pushed downward by a cam I55secured to the main cam shaft-.12. 'I here is one high portion I51on-the cam I 55 andlthis portion I51- oausesthe lever arm IEZt'ooperateonce-for eachcycle of the marking machine.

The angularposition'ofthe cam lii'fion the cam shaft I3 is-sorelated-tothe angular positions-of the other cams that theknife I35 is-operated atthe endof a feed stroke of the machine just after the. tag strip hasbeen advanced to extend .thelast tag-beyond'the-endof the'table 45.

For tagssuch asthetagsE-I- of Fig. 1-0, the machine must operate throughtwo complete cycles in printing each of these tags because duplicateinformationisprinted on the main body and. on the auxiliary tag portion6-8; The

knife. wilLoperateonce for eachcycle of the 'to be under the shearingsectionof the knife.

The knife merely flexes the material of the strip downward on theright-hand side of the cut I34. The incised webs I62 that connect thesuccessive tags Iii are located closer to the bottom edge of the stripand under the shearing portion of the knife when the knife is adjustedfor tags of the style shown in Fig. 10.

The knife I35 is moved downward into the inoperative position shown inFig. 6 by means of a lever I55 extending across the top of the leverarm- I52. This lever I65 is supported at one end by a fulcrum pin ISGextending from the back of the panel II. The other end of arm i65carries a handle I69 that slides along a stud I70 rigidly connected tothe lever I85. The stud H0 extends through a slot III (Fig. 3) in thefront of the frame ID, and the handle I69, located out in front of theframe I0, can be moved down- Ward along the slot i'II to depress one endof lever I65 and push the lever arm I52 downward into the position shownin Fig. 6. When in such a po'sition the lever arm I52 is not affected bythe cam I55 since the lever arm is depressed below the maximum throw ofthe cam. The handie IE9 is wider than the slot IIi, but there is acounterbore at the upper and lower ends of the slot Ill; and the end ofthe handle IE9 is pushed into these counterbores for holding the lever Iin either its raised or lowered position.

Indexing for dz'fierent styles of tags The various on the cam assembly92 (Figs. 4 and 5) are so shaped that with the shaft 93 in variouspositions the cams adjust the guides, the feed mechanism, and thecut-off knife for every style of tag with which the machine is intendedto be used. In order to determin the angular position of the Shaft 93there is an indexing head I16 (Fist 1) attached to the end of the shaft93 by a screw I 75 threaded into th end of the sh'af t 93. The indexinghead I'M has pins which fit into openings I'll and I I8 (Fig. i) in theshaft 93 and these pins I'I'I are of different diameter or located lessthan apart, or may be otherwise arranged, so that the indexing head canbe put" on the shaft 53 in only one angular position.

The indexing head I74 includes a knob m0 (Fig; I) by which the head isturned, and has a dial I with in'dioia; such as numerals, located atangularly' spaced regions around the face of the diaL- The indexingnumbers on the dial correspond to the style numbers of tags shown on asample display board or on a legend sheet for guiding the userof themachine.- In the apparatus showniri the drawing; the dial IE1 is turnedto" bringto' the top position the style numberof the tags to be printed.The cam assembly structure shown in the drawing is ordinarily coveredwith a housing, and the indexing head is located on the outside of thehousing. The indexing numbers on. the dial IBI can be located, withrespect to the shaft 93 s'o that the desired style index can be an ightinto register with a fixed pointer located at any convenient position 9)I99 in position to be depressed by the cam as the high portion of thecam rotates into its lowermost position. This cam I99 is secured to themain cam shaft I2.

The printing head I90 is located out in front of panel II. An ink supplyroller 202 is also located out in front of the panel II and is supportedby a shaft 203 extending through an opening in the panel II and througha bearing 204 attached to the back of the panel.

A- bevel gear 295 meshes with another bevel gear 206 driven by a spurgear 208. This spur gear 208 is rotated by a large driving gear 209secured to the main shaft I2 of the machine. Thus the ink supply roller202 is rotated continuously during the operation of th machine and at aspeed substantially faster than the speed of rotation of the main driveshaft I2.

The portion of the table 45 (Fig. 1) immediately under the printing he::1 I90 serves as a platen and preferably contains a rubber insert. Theprinting head I90 holds a chase 2l3 in guides 2 I4 and the chase ismoved in and out by a handle 2I5 when the type is to be changed. Whenthe printing head is in its raised position, the type which extends fromthe underside of the chase 2I3 is in position to be contacted by aninking roller 2I8 which reoiprocates back and forth in a directionparallel to the table 45. This inking roller 2I8 is supported on a stud22I extending outward from a carriage 223 which slides in a bearing slot224 on the front panel I I.

The mechanism for moving the carriage 223 backward and forward along theslot 224 is not illustrated; and it is sufficient for purposes of thisinvention to understand that this carriage 223 is connected by a linkmechanism to an operating lever 228 (Fig. 2), and that the rearward endof this operating lever is supported by a vertical pivot bearing 229extending upward from the frame I and holding the operating lever 228 atsuch a level that a cam follower roller 23I carried by the lever 228extends into a slot 232 of a cam 233 secured to the main cam shaft I2.

The cam slot 232 is shaped to cause the inking roller 2I3 (Fig. 1) tomove from a rest position into contact with the ink supply roller 202for long enough to acquire a fresh coating of ink around the entirecircumference of the inking roller 2I8; and then across the face of thetype in the chase 2I3, and back again into the rest position, duringeach cycle of operation of the machine. This movement of the inkingroller is in such timed relation with the operation of the printing headI90 that the inking roller 2; is out from under the printing head beforethe printing head I90 starts its downward movement.

There is a counter 230 attached to the panel II alongside the lever I9l.This counter is conventional and is operated by the lever I? to recordthe number of times that the lever moves the printing head. Thiscorresponds with the number of tags marked when using tags such as shownin Figs. 8 and 9, and is equal to twice the number of tags marked whenusing tags of the style shown in Fig. 10. The counter 236 is turned backto its zero setting by a knob 231.

Operation of the machine When the machine is to be set for marking aparticular style of tag, the flywheel 2! (Fig. l) is first turned to anangular position that advances the carriage 46 on its feed stroke farenough to locate the stud 53 (Fig. '7) on the right-hand side of thehook 58 so that if the setting of the 10 cam assembly raises the hook58, the stud 53 will be on the right side of the hook to limit themovement of the carriage 45.

The proper direction for rotating the flywheel 2| is indicated by anarrow 238 marked on the rim of the flywheel, and the position to whichthe flywheel 2| (Fig. 1) must be turned to bring the parts into thecorrect positions for setting the index head is also determined by thearrow 238. For example with the arrow 238 in the position shown in Fig.l, the operator knows that the other parts of the machine are inposition so that they can be correctly adjusted by turning the indexinghead I14.

The operator compares the strip of tags to be marked with samples orpictures of the different styles on a master sheet that indicates theproper setting of the index head for each style of tag. The index headis turned to bring the correct index number to the top of the dial. Thestrip of tags to be marked is then laid on the table 45 with the upperends of the tags in contact with the upper edge guide plate I5, and thestrip is moved manually along the table 45 until the end of the stripcomes even with the shearing edge at the end of the table 45. If thetags are to be cut apart as successive tags are marked, the handle I69(Fig. 6) is positioned at the top of the slot I'iI; but if the stripsare to be marked without cutting the tags apart, the handle I69 is moveddownward and to the end of the slot III and pushed into the counterboreat the bottom of the slot to hold the handle I69, lever I55, and theassociated lever arm I52 and knife I35 in a lowered position thatpermits the strip of tags to pass over the top of the knife I65 and outthrough the guide I41 (Fig. 3).

The operator operates the machine by gripping the handle 20 and rotatingthe flywheel 2I which turns the associated gears and cams to cause themachine to perform one cycle of operation for each rotation of theflywheel. The cams cause the inking roller 2I8 (Fig. 1) to move firstinto contact with the ink supply roller 220 and travel across the faceof the type that extends down from the chase H3. The carriage 223 thenmoves back and returns the inking roller 218 to its normal position, andthe cam mechanism causes the printing head I to move down into contactwith the endmost tag on the table 45. The tag is thus printed and thisdownward stroke of the printing head I90 is utilized to press the fingerI25 into contact with the printed tag to depress one edge of the taginto position to be engaged by the feed pawl I30 (Fig. 4a).

Further operation of the cam mechanism causes the printing head to riseand the carriage 46 (Fig. 4) to move forward carrying the feed pawl I30into contact with the endmost tag. At

the end of the stroke of the feed carriage 46, the feed pawl I30 isalways even with the shearing edge of the table 45, and the webconnecting the endmost tag with the rest of the strip is thus positionedover the shearing edge of the table 45 and under the knife I35 inposition to be out, if the knife is in use.

Further operation of the cam mechanism depresses the knife I35 to severthe endmost strip, unless the knife has been locked in an inoperativeposition as previously explained. The feed carriage returns to itsoriginal position, or to the intermediate position if the indexing headhas been set to bring the crank 55 (Fig. 7) up into the path of the pin53. Such a restricted stroke is used only-for narrow tags or double tagson which 1 l duplicate indicia are to be marked on adjoining portions ofthe tag.

As the operator continues to rotate the flywheel, the cycle of operationis repeated over and over again until all of the tags of the strip havebeen printed. The machine can be used for printing single tags, but muchof the automatic mechanism is unnecessary when using the machine forsingle tags.

The preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated and describedincludes features that make it adjustable for styles and sizes of tagshaving wide variations of dimensions and marking areas, and havingduplicate marking areas, but the invention can be used in machineshaving combinations of some, but not all, of these features. Terms oforientation, are of course, relative, and various structural changes andmodifications can be made in the apparatus illustrated without departingfrom the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for printing successive tags of a strip, said machinecomprising a supporting table along which the strip moves, a platenportion on one end of the table, independently movable guides extendingalong opposite edges of the table for preventin transverse displacementof the strip, cut-off mechanism at the end of the supporting table forsevering the endmost tag of the strip, apparatus for adjusting thecut-off mechanism to accommodate different styles of tags, automaticmechanism for feeding the strip forward for a predetermined distanceduring each cycle of operation of the machine, means for adjusting theposition of the guide at one side of the table, other means foradjusting the position of the guide on the other side of the table, andcommon operating mechanism for moving the cut-off adjusting apparatusand both of the guide adjusting means, said operating mechanismincluding an indexing head that moves the cut-off adjusting apparatusand the guide adjusting means into different positions that causedifferent combinations of adjustment of the guides with respect to oneanother and with respect to the cut-off mechanism, said indexing headhaving designations thereon for diiferent styles of tags, each of whichdesignations is set in a different position to produce the combinationof guide positions and cut-off mechanism adjustment for the particularstyle of tag designated.

2. In a tag markin mach'ne the combinat on comprising a supporting tablealong which a strip of tags is fed, a platen portion located at one endof the table, and on which a tag is supported while being printed, aguide plate spaced from one edge of the table for guiding the upperedges of the tags in said strip, a lip on the guide plate extending overthe top edges of the tags, supporting hearings on which the guide plateis movable toward and from the edge of said table, spring means urgingthe guide plate away from the edge of the table, a second guideextending along the other side of the supporting table and transverselyacross a portion of said table for guiding the lower edges of the tagsof said strip, bearing means on which the second guide is movabletransversely of the sup-porting table to accommodate it to tags ofdifferent width, spring means urging said second guide into position tocover a substantial portion of said table, a cam assembly includingcylindrical cams on opposite faces of said assembly, separate camfollowers operated by the respective cams and each connected with LTDone of the guides for moving its guide against the force of said springmeans, an indexing head connected with the cam assembly for turning thecam assembly into diilerent positions to produce diiferent combinationsof adjustment of the guides, a dial on the indexing head, anddesignations of tag styles located at angularly spaced regions aroundthe face of the dial to indicate the position to which the dial must beset to obtain the combination of guide adjustments required for theparticular style of tag correspond ing to the respective designations.

3. In a tag marking machine having a supporting table at a predeterminedregion of which a tag is marked, and having an indexing head that ismovable into diiierent positions for adjusting an element of the machineto accommodate tags of different size or style, the combination withsaid indexing head of a connection for adjusting a second element of themachine, automatic feed mechanism for advancing a tag to said predetermined region and for advancing the tag beyond said region after themarking operation, means that adjust the stroke of the feed mechanism tofeed tags of different size, said means being operated from the indexinghead through said connection.

4. In a tag marking machine for printing successive tags of tag strips,a support for a strip of tags, automatic feed mechanism for advancingthe strip in successive steps, guides for both sides of the tag strip,separate apparatus for adjusting the guides for the different edges ofthe strip, apparatus for adjusting the feed mechanism for tags ofdifferent width, and a common indexing head operatively connected withthe separate apparatus for adjusting the guides for the diiferent edgesof the strip and with the feed adjusting apparatus, the indexing headbeing movable into a plurality of positions that give difierentcombinations of adjustment of said apparatus.

5. In a tag marking machine including a support for a strip of tags,guide means along one side of the support for guiding the upper edge ofthe strip, other guide means along the other sde of the support forguidin the lower edge of the tag strip, bearing elements on which therespective guide means are movable toward and from one another toaccommodate them to tag strips of different width, spring means urgingthe respective tag guides in one direction, cam means for moving each ofthe tag guides in the other direction against the force of said springmeans, automatic feed mechanism for advancing the tag strip for adistance equal to the width of one tag during each cycle of operation ofthe machine, apparatus for adjusting the feed mechanism for tags ofdiiferent width, and a common indexing head operatively connected withthe cam means and with the apparatus for adjusting the feed mechanism,the indexing head being movable into different positions to givedifferent combinations of adjustment.

6. In a tag marking apparatus the combinatlon comprising a support for astrip of tags that has successive tags connected together across only aportion of the width of the strip, feed mechanism including areciprocating pawl located on the strip support and under the tag strip,a device for bending at least a portion of 8 0 the tags of the strip outof line with the successive tag to depress a side of the tag intoposition for contact with the feed pawl, guides for the upper and loweredges of the tag strip, apparatus for adjusting the guides for strips ofdiffercut widths, other apparatus for adjusting the reduced width, andindexing means for indicating the setting of all of the adjustingapparatus.

'7. In a tag marking apparatus for use with tag strips having successivetags connected together by webs extending across only a portion of thewidth of the tag strip, a support along which the tag strip movesthrough the machine, guide means on both sides of the support forguiding the upper and lower edges of the tags, apparatus for adjustingthe guide means to accommodate strips of different width, feed mechanismincluding a reciprocating feed pawl movable back and forth under a stripin the direction in which the strip is to be advanced, a presser elementin position to bend a portion of a ta downward out of line with the nextsuccessive tag and into the path of the reciprocating feed pawl,apparatus for adjusting the position of said presser element toward andfrom the position at which the feed pawl stops at one end of its stroke,and other apparatus for changing the stroke of the feed pawl toaccommodate tags of different width.

8. In a tag marking apparatus for use with tag strips having successivetags connected together by webs extending across only a portion of thewidth of the tag strip, a support along which the tag strip movesthrough the machine,

guide means on both sides of the support for guiding the upper and loweredges of the tags, apparatus for adjusting the guide means toaccommodate strips of different width, feed mechanism including areciprocating feed pawl movable back and forth under a strip in thedirection in which the strip is to be advanced, a presser element inposition to bend a portion of a tag downward out of line with the nextsuccessive tag and into the path of the reciprocating feed pawl,apparatus for adjusting the position of said presser element toward andfrom the position at which the feed pawl stops at one end of its stroke,mechanism for advancing the pawl on its feed stroke, spring means formoving the feed pawl on its return stroke, and adjustable apparatus fordetermining the length of the return stroke of the feed pawl.

9. In a tag marking machine including a support with guides betweenwhich a strip of tags is fed to a marking station apparatus that adjuststhe guides, transversely of the direction of movement of the strip, toaccommodate tags of different style, cut-off mechanism located beyondthe marking station and including a knife for severing the endmost tagfrom the strip, a fulcrum supporting one end of the knife, mechanism forrocking the knife about its fulcrum to bring the knife into position tosever the tag strip, and apparatus for adjusting the position of thefulcrum transversely of the direction of movement of the strip throughthe guides to accommodate the cut-off mechanism to strips and tags ofdifferent styles, and common control means that adjust both of saidapparatus simultaneously to selected styles of tags.

10. In a tag marking machine for marking duplicate indicia onspaced-apart areas of successive tags that have one of the marking areason an auxiliary tag portion connected to the main body of the tag by aweb extending for only a portion of the height of the tag and that havesuccessive tags connected together in strips by webs extending for onlya portion of the width of the strip, the tag-connecting webs being catedat a different distance from the edge of the strip than are the otherwebs that connect each of the auxiliary tag portions with the main bodyof its tag, the combination that comprises a marking station, a supportalong which the strip of tags is advanced through the machine, a cutoffmechanism at the discharge end of the support beyond the markingstation, the cut-off mechanism comprising a knife having a shearing edgeextending for only a portion of the width of the support, feed mechanismfor advancing a tag strip along the support after each marking operationof the machine for a distance equal to the width of one of the markedareas of the tag, other mechanism for moving the knife to shear the endmost tag from the strip, common operating means that operates the feedmechanism and the knife, and that operates the knife once for eachoperation of the feed mechanism, said knife extending across the Widthof the support further than the intended location of the webs thatconnect the successive tags together in the strip, but not extending asfar as the intended location of the other webs that connect each of theauxiliary tag portions with the main body of its tag.

11. In a tag marking machine including a supporting table, a guide atone side of the table for the upper edge of a tag, a guide at the otherside of the table for the lower edge of the tag, feed mechanism foradvancing the tag along the table, apparatus for adjusting at least oneof the ed guides to accommodate tags of different height, otherapparatus for adjusting the feed mechanism to accommodate the machine totags of different width, and motion transmitting connections that shiftthe apparatus for adjusting the feed mechanism into a different positionupon movement of the edge guide adjusting apparatus into a predeterminedposition.

12. In a tag marking machine including a supporting table, a guide atone side of the table for the upper edge of a tag, a guide at the otherside of the table for the lower edge of the tag, a feed mechanism foradvancing the tag along the table, apparatus for adjusting the feedmechanism for tags of different width, other apparatus for adjusting atleast one of the guides to accommodate tags of different height, andcommon indexing means operatively connected with the apparatus foradjusting the guide spacing and the apparatus for adjusting the feedmechanism, said indexing means being movable into a plurality ofdifferent positions to obtain different combinations of adjustment ofsaid apparatus so that all of said apparatus can be set simultaneouslyfor tags of predetermined style.

13. In a tag marking machine including a table along which a tag isadvanced a predetermined location on the table at which the tag ismarked, guide means along opposite sides of the table for guiding theupper and lower edges of the tag, feed mechanism for advancing the tagwith a step movement into position to be marked and thereafter advancingthe tag beyond the marking position, apparatus including a cam foradjusting the spacing of the guides to accommodate tags of difierentheight, other apparatus including a cam for adjusting the feed mechanismto change the length of the steps by which the tag is moved, a commonshaft to which both of the cams are connected, and an indexing head onthe shaft that moves the shaft to different positions to obtaindifferent combinations of adjustment of said apparatus.

' .14. In a tag marking machine including a support, guide meansalongopposite sides of the support for guiding the upper and lower edgesof a tag, apparatus for adjusting the guide means to accommodate tags ofdiiierent he ht, reciprocating feed mechanism for advan g alone; thesupport, apparatus for adjusting the mechanism including a stop movableto position to limit the stroke or the feed hanism when using themachine with narrow tags, a common indexing head operatively connectedwith the apparatus for adjusting the guide means and the feed mechanism,the indexing head being movable into a plurality of positions to givedifferent combinations of adjustment of said ap- Daratus.

15. In a tag marking machine including a support having a predeterminedarea at which the tag is marked, guide means along opposite sides of thesupport for guiding the upper and lower edges of a tag, app atus foradji the spacing of the guide means to accommodate tags of differentheight, d mechani m for advancing the tag with a step-by- -stepmovement, said feed mechanism including a reciprocating portion overwhich the tag travels, and a presser element for holding the tag down onthe support and in position for cooperation. with the reciproeatingportion of the feed mechanism, and apparatus for adjusting the positionof said element to accommodate the feed mechanism to different styles oftags.

16. In a tag marking machine, the combination comprising a support for astrip of tags, guide means for the upper and lower edges or the andbetween which the tag strip moves as it is advanced along said support,a marking station at a predetermined region of said support, feed ingmechanism for advancing the tags, bearing surfaces on which the guidemeans are movable to shift the course of the tag strips transverselywith respect to the marking station and to change the spacing of theguide means to accommodate tags of diiierent height, apparatus foradjusting the guide means on said bearing surfaces, other apparatus foradjusting the feed mechanism for accommodating tags of different width,a knife at one end of the support beyond the marking station forsevering the endmost tag from the strip, apparatus for adjusting theposition of sai knife to sever of different styles, a common indexinghead movable into different positions, and operative connections betweenthe indexing head and the respective apparatus for adjusting the guidemeans, the feed mechanism, and the position of the knife.

17. In a machine for marking successive tags connected together in astrip, the combination including a support for the tag strip, feedmechanism for advancing the strip intermittently in steps that arecorrelated with the width of the successive tags to be marked, apparatusfor adjusting the feed mechanism to accommodate tags of difierentstyles, a marking station to which successive tags are fed,cut-ohmechanism beyond the marking station. for severing the endmost tagfrom the strip, apparatus for adjusting the position of the cut-offmechanism to accommodate tags of different styles, a common indexinghead operatively connected with the apparams for adjusting the feedmechanism and also with the apparatus for adjusting the position of thecut ofi mechanism, the indexing head being movable into a plurality ofpositions that give differentcombinations oiadiustment of said a!paratus.

18. In a tag marking machine including a support for a strip of tags, 2.top guide along the support for guiding the upper edge of the strip alower guide on the other side of the support for guiding the bottom edgeof the strip, feed. mocha-- nism including a reciprocating element,mechanism for operating said reciprocating element, a presser elementfor holding successive tags of the strip in position for cooperationwith the reciprocating element of the feed mechanism, out-off mechanismincluding a knife extending transversely of the strip, apparatusincluding a cam for moving the knife to accommodate it to tags ofdifferent styles, other apparatus including a cam for adjusting theposition of the presser element lengthwise of the strip, other apparatusincluding a cam for limiting the stroke of the reciprocating element 01'the feed mechanism, other apparatus including a cam for adjusting theposttion of the bottom edge guide transversely of the support, otherapparatus including a cam for adjusting the position of the top guidetransversely of said support, and indexing means for indicating thesetting of all of said cams.

19. A tag marking machine including a support and device for markingsuccessive tags located over a predetermined region of the support,guides along opposite sides of the support for guidint the upper andlower edges of a tag as it advances along said support, a cam and motiontransmitting connections operated by the cam for I'' ing the upper edgeguide transversely of the support, a second cam and motion transmittingconnections operated by the second cam for adiush ing the lower edgeguide transversely of the support, feed mechanism including areciprocating pawl and a presser element that holds a tag in positionfor cooperation with said pawl. apparatus including a cam for adjustingthe stroke oi the pawl, other apparatus including a cam for ad justingthe position of the prcsser element lengthwise of the support forcooperation with tags of different size, common operating mechanism forthe marking device and the feed mechanism, and motion-transmittingconnections that operate the marking device in timed relation with thefeed mechanism and independently of the adjustments of the guides and ofthe feed mechanism.

20. A tag marking machine including a sup.- port and a device formarking successive tags located over a predetermined region of thesupport, guides along opposite sides of the support for guiding theupper and lower edges of a tag as'it advances along said support, a camand motion transmitting connections operated by the cam for moving theupper edge guide transversely of the support, a second cam and motiontransmitting connections operated by the second cam for adjusting thelower edge guide transversely of the support, feed mechanism includ' inga reciprocating pawl and presscr element that holds a tag in positionfor cooperation with said pawl, apparatus including a cam for adjust ingthe stroke of the pawl, 21 common shaft to which all of said cams areoperatively connected, an indexing head connected with said common.shaft, said indexing head being movable into :2. number of angular-1yspaced positions and. the cams being of such angular extent that theyoperate over an angular range corresponding to the combined angularspacing of a number of positions of the indexing head, and said camshaving their rises located at different angular positions so thatdifferent positions of the indexing head obtain different combinationsof adjustment of the upper and lower guides and the feed mechanism.

21. In a tag-marking machine, the combination including a support alongwhich a strip of tags is fed past a marking device, guides alongopposite sides of the course followed by the strip for preventingtransverse displacement of the strip as it moves through the machine,separate adjusting means connected with each of the guides, partsmovable into different positions to shift the guide adjusting meansindependently with respect to one another to obtain differentcombinations of positions transverse of the support, a feeding devicethat advances the strip with step by step movement along the support, acut-off device at the end of the support, apparatus for adjusting atleast one of the devices to ac commodate strips having tags of differentstyles,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NameDate DeForest Dec. 8, 1863 Number Number Number 18 Name Date Crane Oct.23, 1883 Oehring Mar. 1, 1910 Stewart May 17, 1910 McCauley Mar. 4, 1913Henry Apr. 15, 1919 Kohnle -1 Feb. 19, 1924 Laencher Nov. 22, 1927Shively Jan. 22, 1929 Rabinowitz Feb. 4, 1930 Bignell Oct. 6, 1931Laencher Dec. 22, 1931 Laencher Feb. 14, 1933 Evans May 9, 1933 LaencherJan. 1, 1935 Powers Feb. 19, 1935 Flood Dec. 3, 1935 Weimont Dec. 28,1937 Henry Jan. 4, 193-8 Flood Aug. 2, 1938 Purdy Feb. 14, 1939 MestreMar. 1941 Hafecost July 29, 1941 Sutter Dec. 19, 1944 Iverson Oct. 11,1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Aug. 1, 1912

